More Problem Children?
by winteriscute
Summary: Eh... Just something I wanted to write just as a concept XD Enjoy! It's only one chapter, anyways...


_Huh? A letter… falling from the sky…_

I reached up and plucked it out of the clear, blue sky.

"This is a letter for those who have extraordinary powers…"

"If you want to see how far these powers will take you, cast away your family, friends, and possession and come to our Little Garden.

 _Flash._

I was falling. Falling, falling, falling. The wind blew past me as I saw a blue speck. Coming closer, closer…

Water enveloped my body, and everything turned black.

 _Swim, swim!_

I started to paddle upwards toward the light. As my head surfaced, realized that I was in a lake, the water reflecting the scenery like a mirror. I readjusted the glasses on my face (thank goodness they were tight) and viewed my surroundings.

 _Wow… it's like a magical forest…_

I heard a loud gasp behind me, and turned to see a boy, about my age. His hair was the color of untainted snow, and as he opened his eyes, I couldn't help but gasp. They were red, the color of blood…

Perhaps it would be better to get out of this lake first. I started to paddle to shore, and hearing splashes behind me, I was sure the boy was getting out as well.

 _Ah… I'm all wet…_

The ground met my feet and I stood up, shaking the water droplets out of my tied-up hair. Turning around, I met face-to-face with Mr. Snow White. He wore a red plaid shirt with black jeans, and he pulled out a pair of glasses from his pockets and put it on, staring directly at me.

"Yuuto Akiyama. You?"

"Keiko Kusumoto. I wonder where we are…"

The forest was breathtaking. The sunlight shined onto the sparkling lake, and the trees swayed with the wind. I peeked back at the girl, who was now wringing out the water from her her lavender hair. She wore a black hoodie as well as baggy blue jeans, so I expect she wasn't the girly type. Tying up her hair into a ponytail, she returned her gaze toward me.

"What do we do now?"

I bit my lip. "The letter… said we had extraordinary powers, right? So… what can you do?"

"I'd like to ask the same of you." She folded her arms and turned away.

 _Being cheeky, huh…_

"Hmph."

I started to walk into the forest, but through the nearby clearing, I spotted glass houses. BIG glass houses. They spread out as far as the eye could see, and sun caused them to sparkle and gleam.

"So… are we heading down there, then?"

Keiko appeared behind me. "I suppose so. But… someone must have summoned us, right? So, how come there's no one here?"

"Izayoi!" I called.

 _Tch. Where was the trouble-making boy?_

I caught him standing on the roof. Of course.

"Izayoi, get DOWN from there!" I shouted, hopping up onto the roof next to him. "We need to get going to the next festival we were invited to-"

He held up a hand, silencing me. What nerve…

My hair and bunny ears grew pink, showing my irritation.

"Wha-"

"Black Rabbit. There are more of us, aren't there? More people coming?"

He pointed into the distance at the lake where we first met. There were two streaks of light, slowly vanishing into the air.

I gasped. _The ones I couldn't call… came now?_

Izayoi spoke. "You called more people, right? But, since our timelines intersected earlier, we came earlier."

"Ah… I didn't know they would come today though…" I sighed. "I only called five, so these two must be the remaining ones."

Izayoi grinned. "Well, let's greet them then!" With a powerful leap, he jumped down the building and sped away, dust clouds in his wake.

"What… what is THAT?"

Something was running toward us. It was a small dot, but it was growing larger.

"Yuuto! What do we do?"

"How do I know?" he replied. "What can you do, anyways? What's your power?"

"Eh…"

 _My power? I didn't know. It was still a mystery to me, so how can I tell him?_

"Just tell me yours first!"

He scowled. "Illusion. I can create illusions. NOW will you tell me what you can do?"

"Illusions…? Ah… yeah! I think I can do the same…"

"Really? Well, the running person is coming closer… let's see if he's real or not. Let's see if this place is interesting." He smiled at the nearing…. boy.

The boy jumped and landed right at the clearing, sending dust flying everywhere.

"Ah, are you the new guests?"

"Izayoi Sakamaki, at your service." He bowed and showed the whites of his teeth. He was wearing a type of uniform and a set of headphones, and his hair was blonde.

I heard more running, and saw a… bunny? Girl? Jump and land next to Izayoi.

Breathing heavily, she looked at us up and down. Her bunny ears twitched and she bowed.

 _What was she wearing… a maid outfit?!_

"Welcome everyone, to world of Little Garden!"

I still couldn't believe what was going on. Gift Games? Can they _really_ satisfy my increasing boredom?

Yuuto and I followed the Black Rabbit to see our new "community." We were introduced and explained everything that happened in Little Garden, and the things we "missed." Apparently there were 3 people who came before us, of which included Izayoi. I glanced at the wide varieties of people.

 _Wow, there are people with cat ears too…_

"You'll be staying at this place as we rebuild our community! However, I'll be heading out to the Game of the Lords in Galzier with Izayoi, Asuka, Yo, and Jin, so please enjoy your stay! Riri will take care of you, so I'll see you soon!" Black Rabbit bowed and hopped away, Izayoi not far behind.

The blonde-haired girl with the fox ears nodded and smiled.

"I'm so glad we have more community members to help us rebuild! Those 5 will participate in a festival, so you can stay here and help us."

We nodded, and followed Riri inside.

"So, when will we play a gift game?" Yuuto tilted his head.

Riri gave us a small smile. "I'm not sure, you'll have to wait until Black Rabbit gets back."

I glanced at Yuuto, and caught his gaze. No way are we staying here when the other three humans get to have all the fun.

After Riri showed us to our rooms, Keiko and I crept down the halls to meet the other three humans. Perhaps they will let us jump onboard for some fun…

An hour was lost attempting to find anyone who was going to the festival. Keiko sighed. "We might as well go there ourselves!"

I nodded in agreement. "Where is the west, anyways? Black Rabbit said we could always seek Shiroyasha if we had any questions about this world…"

We arrived at Shiroyasha's place after some asking around.

 _It doesn't look that grand…_

Yuuto stepped up to knock, and the door slid open, revealing… a young girl, but her eyes knowledgeable and sharp. She smiled.

"Ah, I've been expecting you. I came back here after dropping off Black Rabbit and the others off at the Game. I'll be a floor master there, if you so wish to compete…"

She invited us inside and whipped out her fan.

"Fufu, but before I take you to the Game, how about a small one here? I know you've been itching to play one…"

We bobbed our heads excitedly. Shiroyasha giggled, and the world around us dissolved away.

"How about… a game of courage and wits?"

Our feet landed on soft sand. Sand stretched everywhere, so I assumed we were in a desert.

"If you manage to slay the scorpion, you win, and I'll take you to the festival." A roll of paper appeared (Black Rabbit said something about this… a Geass Roll?) and the girl giggled. "Deal?"

Yuuto and I replied in sync. "Of course."

"Then, let the game begin!"

The sand started to move. A claw burst out of the ground, sending sand flying everywhere. The other claw emerged as well, and a tail appeared as well. In an instant, the scorpion dove Yuuto.

"Yuuto!"

He immediately dodged the blow, and his hand glowed.

"Serving scorpions… for dinner!"

A giant hand appeared out of the sky and reached for the scorpion. An ear-splitting squeal was heard as the scorpion was flattened against the burning sand. The hand pushed down harder, and a breaking sound was heard.

"Hm hm, you win. I'll give you the same privilege the other three have, a gift card. It shows the gifts you currently possess and can use." The desert faded around us and we returned to our seats in Shiroyasha's home.

A card appeared in front of me, and I grabbed it. Flipping it over, I read what my gift was.

 _Master of Illusion, eh?_

"Keiko, what does your card say?"

"It's blank." My eyes widened. "But, didn't you tell me that you could create illusions too?" She looked away. It was obvious she had lied. I scowled.

"Illusions, huh? Amazing how you convinced the scorpion to flatten itself to death…" Shiroyasha giggled. "But a blank card is interesting. I'm hoping I can see what power you have at the real Game. You _are_ competing, right?"

She clapped twice.

"We're here."

 _Wow…_

The atmosphere here was completely different. You could almost feel the competition in the air like static.

"Fufu, I'll see you on the top floor. See ya!" Shiroyasha hid her smile with her fan and promptly disappeared.

"So Keiko… good luck."

She nodded. "Same to you."

I smirked. "Not yet determined."

She scoffed. "Do you want to fight, boy? I'm sure my undetermined power bests yours by a million!"

Chuckling, I turned toward her. "You don't even know what your power is, right? How do you know you have a gift higher than mine?"

She sighed, then looked toward the sea of people. "Eh, isn't that Black Rabbit?"

"Really? I suppose we should greet her and meet the other three."

"Black Rabbit! Yoohoo!" Keiko shouted. The pair of bunny ears immediately turned to us, and she appeared wearing her usual maid outfit.

"Wha- Keiko and Yuuto?! How…?"

"Shiroyasha gave us a hand. So, where do we go to compete?"

Flustered, Black Rabbit shook her head. "No! You can't compete! These games are for higher gifted people-"

"Well, we're going to give it a go. As long as it will be fun, right?" Keiko smiled.

Black Rabbit's ears drooped. "Well, at least you asked… you are a lot less troublesome than the other three…"

Keiko's head tilted. "Oh, that reminds me. Where are they?"

The bunny-girl sighed. "I lost them! They are simply hopeless…"

"All contestants, please report to the Colosseum to participate. I repeat, all contestants, please report to the Colosseum. Thank you."

The Colosseum seats was packed with people willing to spectate the Gift Game. About fifty people were crowded around in the arena, and the stares coming from the seats didn't lessen the pressure of "YOU HAVE TO WIN."

"Everyone! Thank you for coming today and either spectating or participating in the annual Gift Game of the Lords!" This announcement was made by Black Rabbit herself. However, attention started to drift past her as Shiroyasha stepped out onto the raised platform as well, followed by 2 men (demon lords, I think) who looked just as peppy as she was.

"Welcome, everyone! This is only the starting floor out of the three that will be presented to you the next few days. Only 20 shall advance to the next round, and we will proceed to the final floor. Please have fun!"

The man wearing a golden cape stepped up. He gripped an equally shiny staff, and spoke gruffly into the microphone.

"Hello, I am the floor master for the first round. This Gift Game will be a maze."

At once, the floor fell away and walls popped out of nowhere.

"The twenty people that can get out of the maze the fastest will win. However, there will be many obstacles…" He chuckled. "Let's not forget the ceiling too." He snapped, and we were plunged into darkness.

"Ready, set, GO!"

All sorts of light blazed from weapons, staffs, and hands. Everyone scattered and went down the hallway they thought would lead them out.

"This maze is enormous," Yuuto murmured. "There are at least 40 paths we can take."

I started to look around. Finally spotting a chunk of blonde hair in the dimly lit maze, I grabbed Yuuto's arm and pulled him toward them.

"Izayoi!" I shouted. He turned around and smiled as we approached them. "I was expecting you. Now we finally have our humanly group together, we should proceed."

The short-haired girl spoke. "Hello, my name is Yo Kasukabe. Nice to meet you."

I nodded. "Keiko Kusumoto, and this is Yuuto Akiyama."

The girl wearing a red dress gave us a grin. "Asuka Kudou. It is a pleasure to meet the missing humans."

Soft footsteps were heard, and we were alone. The only source of light was…

 _A type of fairie? On Asuka's shoulder?_

Izayoi chuckled. "Yo, you got anything?"

She turned around, her necklace glowing.

"This way."

We were alone in the maze. It was eerie, but I was guessing that the maze blocked all our other connections to the other contestants. Thank goodness we came as a group…

The first round was surprisingly easy. All five of us was able to get into the top 20, thanks to Izayoi and Yo's useful gifts. Asuka and I helped a bit too, but I couldn't help but notice that Keiko didn't do anything.

 _Weird…_

The very next day, we were "upgraded" to Round 2. This time, however, we were to solve a type of puzzle. It wasn't an ordinary puzzle: it included a lot of combat as well. Asuka used her "Authority" to take hold of the situation, Izayoi planned out what we were to do, and I was set up the decoy. Yo, Izayoi, and Keiko went to solve the remaining puzzle. Scratch that, because Keiko, once again, didn't do anything. She stayed in the back. Every. Single. Time.

We made it to the top floor though, even without Keiko's help. However, she still "got in" and qualified to go to the top floor. Only 5 people made it, interestingly. Our group from another world.

People whispered behind my back. "How did she get into the finals?" they would say. "She didn't do anything, that freeloader!"

All of it was true. I knew what my power was. But, I never, ever used it in Little Garden, which was why my card never held a Gift.

The thing was, I was too afraid to use my power. My power of using another Gift. Back in the real world, I would "take" everyone's good traits. Intelligence, optimism, confidence. However, it wasn't long before people started to avoid me. "She will steal the things that make you special! Your personality and emotions! She's a thief!"

The world became boring and dull for me then. I was an outcast. Shunned and left alone. Until I came into Little Garden.

But, I was still afraid. They would leave me if they found out I could copy their Gift and use it for myself. They would feel like I stole their gift. But really, I only copied it.

The world was still as cruel as ever, huh.

We arrived at the hotel we were all staying. However, I wanted to have a talk with Keiko.

"Keiko, can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

I stared her down. "What's your Gift? You never really told me yet."

She bit her lip. "Why should I tell you?"

"Because…"

"See, you don't have a reason. So, I won't tell you."

"Will you show me tomorrow?"

"I haven't decided yet." She sighed, and closed the door to her room.

 _Urgh, what IS her Gift?!_

I knew the others were suspicious of her too.

 _Did she even HAVE a one?!_

I gritted my teeth and headed into my own room. Only time will tell.

A battle against each other.

That was our final round.

"Start!"

We appeared in a type of forest.

Next to a lake.

Ah, the memories.

Izayoi attacked first. He went for Asuka, who dodged his attack and bound him with "Authority". Yo tried to help Asuka by attacking Izayoi, but he quickly defended himself and broke free from Asuka's "Authority" in a second.

I shifted my gaze over to my current opponent, Yuuto. He smiled.

Suddenly, walls sprouted next to me. I couldn't escape.

 _Master of Illusion, you're good…_

I had to do something. I was being forced into his illusion.

" **Attack Izayoi."**

The walls collapsed and Yuuto's eyes glazed over. He spun around and giant griffon flew from the sky and dove to Izayoi.

 _I… I used Asuka's Authority. Did… did she notice?_

I looked towards her. She was sprinting toward a tree as Yo got blast back into the mud by Izayoi.

" **Master of Illusion, make me invisible."**

I felt bad for doing it. But I had… no other choice. I slowly sat down on the roots of a tree.

 _I wonder who will surrender first…_

Yo surrendered. Asuka surrendered. Yuuto surrendered. My invisibility shield broke.

Izayoi turned to me. He smirked.

"Are you ready?"

Without a moment's hesitation, he flew toward me, his fist outstretched.

My hand shot out.

The dust cleared with me standing and Izayoi punching my palm.

His eyes widened.

"How…"

Punch after punch, kick after kick. We were equally matched. As suspected, since I did copy his Gift. Unless I pulled up someone else's gift, I was equally matched for Izayoi.

" **Stop fighting."**

His whole body became rigid, but he soon broke away.

"It's been a while since I've had a good match."

He swung another punch, a kick, a jab.

 _A rope._

The illusion caught him.

He struggled against it, and grinning all the while.

" **Lose your confidence."**

He immediately stopped struggling, eyes wide.

It was my chance. I could tell him to give up. I could throw him a punch or a kick, and give him his greatest fear in an illusion. I could… do anything. I could win.

I looked down.

"Surrender."

The world dissolved around me.

 _She… could copy Gifts?_

Everyone was surprised.

 _But why did she surrender?_

Keiko emerged with Izayoi.

Everyone was silent.

One by one, people started to cheer.

"Keiko! Keiko!" They chanted.


End file.
